Internationally, the quality of the early childhood education and care workforce has been established as central to the quality of early childhood education1, with high-quality early childhood education being pivotal in laying the foundations to children’s lifelong learning. Across nations, the initial training of those working in early childhood education is based on courses that seek to combine a combination of taught (theoretical) elements and time in practice to gain hands on experiences. Predominantly the international landscape has the initial qualification level for those working in early childhood education set at degree level, although in some instances the degree level is set for those leading practice, with other staff having lower qualifications2. Inevitably, the international qualification landscape is somewhat complicated, but this complicated landscape is being replicated across the UK’s four nations, while also showing the UK as lagging behind in the commitment to a high-quality early childhood education workforce.
Across the UK there are different qualification requirements for working in early childhood education, dependent on nation and type of provision. Focussing primarily on the private, voluntary and independent early childhood education providers, there is something of a fragmented and confusing array of qualifications3. In England, no qualification is legally required to start working in early childhood education, but to be counted in the staff:child ratio requirement, a ‘full and relevant’ qualification must be held, with at least one Level 3 per room and at least 50% of remaining staff holding a minimum Level 2 qualification. In addition, an experience-based route has been introduced to allow experienced staff without formal qualifications to gain recognition, but the ‘qualification’ is not transportable between settings.
In Scotland, most early years roles require registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). Staff can begin work without a qualification but must achieve one within a specified timeframe. Support Workers require a Level 6, practitioners a Level 7, and Lead Practitioners/Managers a Level 9 qualification, such as a BA Childhood Practice or equivalent. (Note that a Level 6 in Scotland is equivalent to Level 3 in other UK nations and a Level 9 is equivalent to a Level 6). In Wales there are no role‑specific qualification requirements and staff can start unqualified but must achieve required qualifications within set timescales;this is a Level 2 or 3 for practitioners and a Level 4 or 5 for leaders and managers. Qualifications must be listed on the Social Care Wales Qualification Framework and aligned with Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development standards. In Northern Ireland managers and leaders must hold an approved early years qualification (e.g. Level 3 or above) and other staff may work towards qualifications while employed.
“Predominantly the international landscape has the initial qualification level for those working in early childhood education set at degree level, although in some instances the degree level is set for those leading practice, with other staff having lower qualifications.”
Given the international evidence of the importance of staff qualifications for the quality of early childhood education, it is alarming that three of the UK’s nations allow staff with no qualification to work with children, with all but Scotland falling well below the international trend for degree qualified leadership. However, it is not just that qualification requirements fall below international standards and what the research evidence tells us is needed for the quality of early childhood education, but also that there are concerns over the quality of the qualifications available4. In England, the qualification landscape has been described as the ‘wild west’ with the plethora of routes and number of qualification providers that have opened up5. Across nations, while there are clear qualification standards, it is evident that the sector has lost confidence in the quality of qualifications and no longer feel certain that an individual who has obtained a qualification will come equipped with the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to work with young children6. With early education providers reporting challenges in recruiting staff, some admit that they now employ individuals that they would not have considered employing five years ago, indicating that quantifying the numbers of staff at a given qualification level is not the same as ensuring the quality of those staff. It is not that the qualification standards are necessarily being questioned, but that the implementation of qualification delivery is flawed, and lacks sufficient quality checks in ensuring that qualification delivery secures quality in the professional knowledge and skills of those working with young children.
Research into the provision of early childhood education related degrees across England offers an illustrative example of the plethora of opportunities available for an individual who is willing to take up Higher Education in any part of the country. In 2020 there were over 300 possible degrees, but with no consistency in the subjects that would be covered over the duration of the degree, nor the number of practical placement hours that would be required. In some instances, it was unclear whether the content needed to fulfil the legislative requirements of working in early childhood education would be covered7. The research demonstrates that if qualification delivery is not to become a wild west, there needs to be quality standards and that the delivery needs to be monitored to ensure that individuals are developing the professional knowledge and skills needed to provide quality early childhood education.
“In England, the qualification landscape has been described as the ‘wild west’ with the plethora of routes and number of qualification providers that have opened up.”
Internationally there are examples of where policy has been effective in not only introducing higher standards in the minimum qualification requirements of those who work in early childhood education but also developing an implementation process that secures minimum expectations as to what will be included within the qualification. For example, The Republic of Ireland have committed to a degree-led workforce, but have also introduced Professional Award Criteria and Guidelines (PACG) for those delivering degrees, whereby degrees align to essential programme content, mapped onto professional knowledge, practices and values8. Experts in Ireland have been positive about both the commitment for a degree-led workforce, saying it provides professional status, but also that the strategy around the commitment was seen to be developed in collaboration with the sector9).
With the Professional Award Criteria and Guidelines in place in Ireland, an employer in the Early Learning and Care Sector can be assured of how many hours a graduate will have spent working with children of different ages and that the taught aspects of the degree will cover necessary content that aligns with the broader curriculum requirements in early childhood education and care. The process of monitoring that degrees are aligned to the set professional knowledge, practices and values, illustrates that the implementation of qualification roll out is key, but does not have to be arduous, because it is the award providers who must demonstrate that they have met the criteria of the Qualifications Advisory Board. Research into early childhood education related degrees in England recommended that the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for England should establish a national group to review the content and structure of degrees10 and, based on the example of Ireland, also monitor the degrees to make sure that the content of the degrees is delivered.
In recognising the contribution of a degree-led workforce to the quality of early childhood education, it is important to stress that this is not about any degree, and that degrees need to be relevant to working with young children. Perhaps unsurprisingly, child development knowledge has been routinely demonstrated as pivotal to the content knowledge of any early childhood qualification, not just degrees11. Equally, international evidence highlights that it is not just that the knowledge and skills required of those working with young children needs to be appropriate to the context, but also that appropriate values need to be developed within those who work with young children12. Evidence from across the UK highlights that working in early childhood education is a relational role and that the attitudes and values of those working with young children is important13.
“The Republic of Ireland have committed to a degree-led workforce, but have also introduced Professional Award Criteria and Guidelines (PACG) for those delivering degrees, whereby degrees align to essential programme content, mapped onto professional knowledge, practices and values.”
A Sustainable Workforce
However, even if steps are taken to rectify the complicated qualification landscape and concerns around the quality of qualifications, once in the workforce there are further challenges. The poor financial remuneration of those who work in early childhood education is well established, and seen to be in sharp contrast to the policy rhetoric that speaks of the importance of early education in laying the foundations to children’s lifelong learning14 However, this is not just an issue of pay, it is also how early childhood education as a profession is being aligned (or not) with associated professions. Internationally, early childhood services are struggling to retain staff, and this is being felt across the UK15. Evidence demonstrates that a clear underlying problem is that early childhood education professions are not being aligned with teachers in later stages of education. As such, those in teaching professions will have better pay and working terms and conditions than those in early childhood education professions. This disparity is not solely down to the differing entry level qualifications required for working in early childhood education to primary education, whereby those in teaching must have a degree. One of the consequences of this disparity, is that people leave early childhood education in search of better working terms and conditions in primary education. While this is supportive of people developing their career trajectories and finding a work-life balance that meets their needs, it is also creating a scenario whereby early childhood education employers feel they are loosing staff to primary education16. While it may appear that an obvious fix would be to pay more and adjust working conditions in early childhood education, it needs to be born in mind that the financial model in early childhood education is constrained by the rates of funding issued by the respective Departments for Education in the UK’s four nations. Further, the business rates faced by private early childhood education providers demonstrates that the financial model does not operate in a way that allows for a simple increase in wages.
“The poor financial remuneration of those who work in early childhood education is well established, and seen to be in sharp contrast to the policy rhetoric that speaks of the importance of early education in laying the foundations to children’s lifelong learning.”
The lack of parity of the terms and conditions of the early childhood workforce also extends to expectations around mentoring and professional development. While in schools there is an expectation that newly qualified staff will receive mentoring and that they will be entitled to professional development days, the same in not true in early childhood education. However, evidence from Canada has demonstrated that structured mentoring schemes significantly impacts retention, professional wellbeing and practice quality17. Monthly meetings, bringing together newly qualified and experienced professionals as a recognised form of professional development, has been shown to impact on early childhood education professionals’ sense of value and offers a model that could be adopted in the UK. Further evidence from Estonia also shows how the equivalent to local authorities, working with local universities can provide a model whereby there can be localised responses to professional development needs18. Given that there is evidence that those working in early childhood education tend to come from the local community of a university or college and go back to work in that community on completing their qualification19, localised, place-based approaches to professional development and mentoring would appear to be an effective model. However, the example of Scotland illustrates that while localised approaches can be beneficial, this should not result in fragmentation, whereby a common core as to the professional development offer is needed20.
Enabling an Early Years Workforce Strategy
It is important to stress that there are thousands of high-quality professionals working in early childhood education, who provide enriching early learning experiences for the youngest members of our society. However, the early childhood education and care sector has been assessed as facing a recruitment and retention crisis, threatening to undermine the provision of the free hours of early education and childcare entitlements available across the UK. The use of the word ‘crisis’ does a disservice to those who are working hard in the sector to provide high-quality educational experiences for our youngest children. The use of the word ‘crisis’ does little to support making early childhood education look like an appealing profession, but there are undoubtedly challenges in the qualification landscape across the UK, alongside a lack of in-work support once an individual has obtained their initial qualification.
Based on evidence, it is possible to develop an early years’ workforce strategy that will strengthen the quality of the early childhood education profession and bring reassurances to both the quality of initial training and the professional development of those working in early childhood education. It is clear that consulting with those who work in early childhood education is important, with the example of how Wales developed their Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care plan being seen as a collaborative process, while the Early Years Specialist role in Northern Ireland has been identified as successful for bringing different sectors (public, private and voluntary) together21. Therefore, any workforce development plan needs to be a collaborative effort, ultimately consulting with those who work with young children on what a quality qualification looks like.
Developing a quality qualification is not sufficient alone to ensure the quality of qualifications, with evidence already discussed that there is a need to have a process in place to review the implementation of qualifications and monitor delivery to mitigate against criticisms of a wild west of delivery models and quality. However, an initial qualification is just the first stage of professional development, and there needs to be effective mentoring in place to support both those new to the profession and those at other stages of their career. Localised mentoring models offer the opportunity to provide rich opportunities for sharing and developing quality early childhood education provision and can be achieved through collaboration between local authorities and colleges and universities.
In line with international standards, and broader research evidence, there must also be a move to ensure that the workforce is graduate led. Evidence from across the UK suggests that a commitment to graduate leadership is achievable. For example, Scotland reports 80 per cent graduates and England 44 per cent, suggesting an ambition of 100 per cent graduate led in Scotland and 50 per cent in England is achievable22. Northern Ireland and Wales have a greater distance to travel, but this should not be equated with not adopting the ambition for graduate led.
“Developing a quality qualification is not sufficient to ensure the quality of qualifications; there is a need to have a process in place to review the implementation of qualifications and monitor delivery to mitigate against criticisms of a wild west of delivery models and quality.”
It is also clear that there needs to be a move away from unqualified staff working in early childhood education. Having unqualified professionals working with young children would not be accepted in other professions such as teaching or those in health professions, so when it is known that early childhood education is so pivotal in laying the foundations to children’s lifelong learning, why accept unqualified staff working in these services. The examples of Scotland and Wales where staff can register on a qualification but set out a period in which it is to be completed, would shift things from unqualified, to ‘working towards’ and provide a trajectory of moving to a fully qualified workforce.
The policy rhetoric is clear in citing the importance of early childhood education for children’s learning journeys, and across the nations there are clear ambitions to ensure that every child is given strong foundations to their lifelong learning. For those ambitions to be fully realised, there needs to be a high-quality workforce. This workforce needs to be graduate-led and needs to stop unqualified people from working with young children, instead providing quality initial qualifications and localised mentoring in support of a sustainable workforce strategy.
ENDNOTES
1. ‘It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK – Final report from the Comparative analysis of early years workforce policy in the four UK nations (EYW4N) project’, St. Albans, 2025.
2. ‘Workforce Profiles in Early Childhood Education and Care: Trends and Challenges in 33 European Countries’, 1 edn., Oberhuemer, P. and Schreyer, I., Verlag Barbara Budrich, 2025.
3. ‘It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK’’, 2025.
4. ‘Interim Report of the Comparative analysis of early years workforce policy in the four UK nations (EYW4N) project’, Early Education, St. Albans, 2025.
5. ‘Education: the ideas’, Yates, E., Gunter, T. and Cattan, S., Nesta, 2024.
6. ‘It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK’, Early Education, 2025.
7. ‘A systematic review of Early Years degrees and employment pathways’ Campbell-Barr, V., Bonetti, S., Bunting, F. and Gulliver, K., University of Plymouth and EPI, 2020.
8. ‘Professional Award Criteria and Guidelines for Initial Professional Education (Level 7 and Level 8) Degree Programmes for the Early Learning and Care (ELC) Sector in Ireland’, Department for Education and Skills, Dublin, 2019.
9. ‘It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK’, Early Education, 2025.
10. ‘A systematic review of Early Years degrees and employment pathways’ Campbell-Barr, V., Bonetti, S., Bunting, F. and Gulliver, K., University of Plymouth and EPI, 2020.
11. Professional knowledge and skills in the early years, Campbell-Barr, V., Sage, 2019; ‘It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK’, Early Education, 2025.
12. ‘Competence Requirements in Early Childhood Education and Care. Final Report’, Urban, M., Vandenbroeck, M., Lazzari, A., Van Laere, K. and Peeters, J., University of East London, Cass School of Education and University of Ghent, Department for Social Welfare Studies, 2012.
13. ‘It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK’, Early Education, 2025.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. ‘A systematic review of Early Years degrees and employment pathways’ Campbell-Barr, V., Bonetti, S., Bunting, F. and Gulliver, K., University of Plymouth and EPI, 2020.
20. ‘It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK’, Early Education, 2025.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
